when you need somebody (i’ll be there for you)
by softiesharpie
Summary: After 5x04, Zari starts getting used to the idea of having a friend. Soft Zava friendship with soft Avalance. Just general softness.


Ava was sitting on her bed, back against the headboard as she read a book.

Today had been long, ending with a call from Sara that left her tired and, most importantly, content. Now it was late and she was enjoying some alone time.

A sudden knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts. She looked over at her bedside clock and saw that it was almost two in the morning.

"Come in." She said and looked at the door as she put in her bookmark.

The door opened to reveal Zari standing there, wearing a flannel pajama set that Gideon had fabricated for her.

Ava frowned, confused. "Everything okay?"

Zari looked down at the floor and gently dragged her foot across it before crossing it over her opposite ankle.

"Yeah, yeah of course." She whispered, seeming a little hesitant.

Ava frowned more. "Is something wrong?"

Zari pursed her lips. "No, it's just..." she trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind. This was a dumb idea." She turned around to leave.

"Zari, wait." Ava stood up and walked over to her. "What's going on?" She asked.

Zari sighed and kept her back to Ava. "You said we were friends, right?"

Ava furrowed her brows, confused by the random question. "Yeah, I did." She replied, not knowing what else to say. "Is that- do you not want that anymore?"

"No, I do!" Zari quickly cut in and turned around to face her. "I'm just... not really good at this whole having friends thing." She explained.

She wasn't used to this. Sure, her team helped her with her marketing and business, but she didn't consider them friends.

Ava softened slightly. "You know, that's exactly how I felt when I met the Legends."

Zari looked surprised. "Really?"

Ava nodded. "Come sit." She gestured for Zari to follow her as she went over and sat down on the small couch on the other side of the room.

Zari tentatively trailed behind Ava and sat next to her.

"Before the Legends, I didn't really do... friendships. I wasn't good at connecting or relating to people and, honestly... sometimes I still feel that I'm not." Ava admitted with a sigh. "I wasn't... emotions don't come naturally to me. I'm still not good with them."

Zari nodded, thoughtful. From the outside, Ava seemed perfect. She seemed to have everything under control and didn't seem to have any worries or insecurities.

"But... the Legends helped me. Letting them in and trusting them helped me to- to open up and get close to people." Ava said.

Zari looked down at her lap and frowned.

Ava frowned too. "What is it?"

"I- I don't know... how to be outside of my influencer persona. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my business and how far I've come but- but I do kind of... I don't know, embellish a bit? For my fans."

Zari wasn't used to opening up to people like this. She was used to being confident and over the top with people, not vulnerable and open like she was being with Ava.

"I get it." Ava said.

Zari looked at her, surprised. "You do?"

Ava nodded. "Yeah. Trust me, I know what it's like to not know who you are outside of your job... or the persona you've created for yourself. But... I think your taking a good first step right now."

Zari frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ava smiled, "what I mean is..." she took Zari's hand. "Talking about it is the first step. When I was going through my identity issues, being open with Sara helped me a lot."

Zari looked down at their hands and smiled. "I really got it all wrong about you, huh?"

Ava frowned, "what?"

"I mean, you /are/ extremely tense and a stickler for the rules, but only because you want to keep the Legends safe. I can see that now."

Ava smiled. "And I got it wrong about you too. You're more than just... a famous social media influencer."

There was more to Zari than she'd first realized. There was something deeper there, Ava could see that now.

She was more than just her influencer persona.

"Well then, to starting off friendships with bad first impressions." Zari teased and bumped her shoulder against Ava's, making the blonde chuckle.

"I like the sound of that." Ava said, smiling.

She was about to say something else when Gideon suddenly spoke.

"Sorry to interrupt, Miss Sharpe, but you have an incoming transmission from Captain Lance."

Ava smiled. "Put her on."

"Should I go?" Zari asked, not sure if Ava wanted to be alone with Sara.

"No, stay. I want Sara to meet my new bestie." Ava playfully bumped her shoulder against Zari's.

Zari beamed at that.

Sara's face appeared on the screen. "Hey, baby. Sorry for calling so late, I was just..." she trailed off when she saw Zari.

"Is this a bad time?" She asked.

"No, not at all. I was just having a talk with Zari." Ava smiled.

Sara looked at Zari curiously. She didn't have a chance to talk to the brunette much before she left for her trip.

"Hi." Zari awkwardly said with a little wave.

Ava cleared her throat. "How's it going in Star City?"

Sara shifted her attention from Zari to Ava and smiled. "Pretty good. I miss you, though."

"I miss you too, babe. It's not the same around here without you."

"Well, from what I heard, you did a great job at being interim captain." Sara said, smiling. "I knew you would anyways. But I'm proud of you."

Ava blushed and ducked her head, getting a little flustered at the praise. "Thanks. It was... very different from running the Bureau, but it wasn't bad. For the most part, the kids did pretty well at following my orders."

Zari frowned, confused. "'The kids'?" She repeated.

Ava chuckled. "It's kind of... an inside joke with the Legends. They joke that Sara and I are their 'time moms' and that they're our kids. It's a whole thing." She explained to her.

"Oh," Zari said. "That's nice."

She did feel a little jealous. No, envious. She wanted what the Legends had. The family unit they had was the kind of dynamic Zari had always wanted to be apart of.

"How long are you planning on staying on the ship, Zari?" Sara asked the brunette, turning her attention to her again.

"Oh, um," Zari wasn't expecting that question. "Well uh, B said I could stay for as long as I wanted so... awhile, maybe?"

"Mmm." Is all Sara said.

Zari looked a little nervous now. She was usually more confident than this, but coming off of her previous conversation with Ava left her feeling vulnerable.

"Plus, I mean, I still have to see if your lady computer can fabricate me a new perfume scent for Dragonesque. And Ava said we're friends so, you know, I kind of want to stay for that." She rambled.

"And your computer fabricates the best donuts I've ever tasted, and it kind of gave me these weird memor-"

"Okay, Zari. We get it." Ava chuckled softly, saving Zari from rambling even more. The girl was barely breathing in between her sentences and Ava was starting to worry that she'd faint. "You can stay... right, Sara?" She looked at her girlfriend hopefully.

Sara glanced between Ava and Zari, noticing them holding hands, and sighed. She could tell this meant a lot to Ava, and it wasn't like she had anything against Zari.

"Fine, okay." She looked at Zari. "You can stay."

Zari smiled, "really?"

"Yeah." Sara smiled lightly. "You'll fit in great, I can already tell."

"Oh," Zari wasn't expecting that. She'd never felt like she really fit in anywhere, especially not in a place like this. "Good. Great. Awesome." She got out, albeit rather awkwardly.

Ava chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Awesome, indeed. Now, it's late so you should go get some rest if you plan on joining us on our next mission tomorrow." She said, watching Zari's expression soften.

Zari looked at her in disbelief. She was still surprised by how welcomed and at home she felt on the ship.

"Sounds good." She hesitated a moment before giving Ava a hug that was a little awkward due to how they were sitting on the couch. "See you tomorrow." She pulled away.

"Bye, Captain Lance." She gave Sara a small wave before leaving the room with a smile on her face.

"Looks like you found yourself a new best friend." Sara said to Ava, smiling.

It made her happy to see Ava softening around people that weren't just the Legends.

"Yeah, she's- she's pretty great." Ava said and nodded, letting out a yawn. "Speaking of sleep." She chuckled and added, "I should probably go do that."

Sara chuckled too. "Yeah, you should." She yawned herself. It was late where she was and it'd been a long day.

Gideon made sure Sara could still see Ava as Ava walked over and got into bed, getting comfortable under the sheets.

"Everything's okay, right, babe?" Ava asked mid yawn, looking at her girlfriend. She knew that it might be hard to be in Star City after her friend died in crisis.

Sara yawned. "Think so. I'll be back soon."

"Take your time, I was just worrying about you."

Sara softened slightly. "I'm fine. You should get some sleep, though."

Ava nodded and sighed. "I should." She said but didn't do anything to end the call.

Sara made a face that looked suspiciously like a pout. "Do I have to end it?"

"Maybe." Ava giggled. "I'm too tired and it's your turn, babe."

Sara sighed. "I know. I'll just miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Ava wasn't used to sleeping in this bed without Sara. It felt cold and empty, but Ava wanted to give the captain her space to sort out whatever she needed to.

"I love you." Sara said, watching Ava's eyes start to slowly close. She could tell that she was about to fall asleep.

"I love you more." Ava said.

"Not possible." Sara countered.

"Yes possible."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"Nope."

Sara noticed that Ava wasn't responding anymore and saw that she'd fallen asleep.

She chuckled fondly and whispered, "night, baby." Before ending the call. She had a smile on her face as she laid down in bed.

She knew that everything on the ship would be fine in her absence, that Ava was more than adequate when it came to being a leader.

She knew she didn't have anything to worry about.


End file.
